Healing of a myocardial infarct is complicated by the need for viable myocytes at the peri-infarct rim to undergo compensatory hypertrophy in order to increase pump function in response to the loss of infarcted tissue (1, 2). This initiates a process termed cardiac remodelling which is characterized by apoptotic loss of hypertrophied myocytes, expansion of the initial infarct area, progressive collagen replacement, and heart failure (3-6). We have recently put forward the hypothesis that hypertrophied cardiac myocytes undergo apoptosis because the endogenous capillary network cannot provide the compensatory increase in perfusion required for cell survival (7).
Vascular network formation is the end result of a complex process that begins in the pre-natal period with induction of vasculogenesis by hemangioblasts—cells derived from the human ventral aorta which give rise to both endothelial and hematopoietic elements (8-11). Cells which can differentiate into endothelial elements also exist in adult bone marrow (12-14) and can induce vasculogenesis in ischemic tissues (15-17). In the adult, new blood vessel formation can occur either through angiogenesis from pre-existing mature endothelium or vasculogenesis mediated by bone marrow-derived endothelial precursors. Recently, we identified a specific population of endothelial progenitor cells (angioblasts) derived from human adult bone marrow which has phenotypic and functional characteristics of embryonic angioblasts (7). We showed that intravenous administration of these cells resulted in selective homing to ischemic myocardium, induction of infarct bed vasculogenesis, prevention of peri-infarct myocyte apoptosis, and significant improvement in myocardial function (7).
We recently discovered that CXC chemokines containing the ELR motif regulate migration of human bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells to sites of tissue ischemia. Moreover, since selective bone marrow homing and engraftment of hematopoietic progenitors depends on CXCR4 binding to SDF-1 expressed constitutively in the bone marrow (28-30), we demonstrated that interruption of CXCR4/SDF-1 interactions could redirect trafficking of human bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells to sites of tissue ischemia, thereby augmenting therapeutic vasculogenesis. Our results indicated that CXC chemokines, including IL-8, Gro-alpha, and SDF-1, play a central role in regulating human adult bone marrow-dependent vasculogenesis.
Recent observations have suggested that a second compensatory response of viable cardiomyocytes is to proliferate and regenerate following injury (18, 19). We have previously shown that pro-angiogenic factors, such as endothelial progenitor cells at a minimum concentration can induce vasculogenesis. Here we disclose the surprising result that careful dosing of endothelial progenitor cells/other pro-angiogenic agents can induce cardiomyocyte proliferation also, and this proliferation can be enhanced by manipulating CXCR4/stromal derived factor-1 interactions. Moreover, we show that the mechanisms for this enhanced proliferation is via modulation of mRNA expression of a number of stress-inducible genes involved in cardiomyocyte apoptosis and cell-cycling.